A Modular Differentiation System Maps Multiple Human Kidney Lineages from Pluripotent Stem Cells.

Recent studies using human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) have developed protocols to induce kidney-lineage cells and reconstruct kidney organoids. However, the separate generation of metanephric nephron progenitors (NPs), mesonephric NPs, and ureteric bud (UB) cells, which constitute embryonic kidneys, in in vitro differentiation culture systems has not been fully investigated. Here, we create a culture system in which these mesoderm-like cell types and paraxial and lateral plate mesoderm-like cells are separately generated from hPSCs.

A nonhuman primate model of liver fibrosis towards cell therapy for liver cirrhosis.

Orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) is the only curative treatment for refractory chronic liver failure in liver cirrhosis. However, the supply of donated livers does not meet the demand for OLT due to donor organ shortage. Cell therapy using hepatocyte-like cells derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC-HLCs) is expected to mitigate the severity of liver failure, postpone OLT and ameliorate the insufficient liver supply.

Author Correction: Development of new method to enrich human iPSC-derived renal progenitors using cell surface markers.

A correction to this article has been published and is linked from the HTML and PDF versions of this paper. The error has not been fixed in the paper.

Author Correction: Higher dialysate calcium concentration is associated with incident myocardial infarction among diabetic patients with low bone turnover: a longitudinal study.

A correction to this article has been published and is linked from the HTML and PDF versions of this paper. The error has not been fixed in the paper.

Higher dialysate calcium concentration is associated with incident myocardial infarction among diabetic patients with low bone turnover: a longitudinal study.

This is a longitudinal study on 53,560 hemodialysis patients from the Japan Renal Data Registry. Predictor was D[Ca] ≥3.0 vs 2.

Development of new method to enrich human iPSC-derived renal progenitors using cell surface markers.

Cell therapy using renal progenitors differentiated from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) or induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) has the potential to significantly reduce the number of patients receiving dialysis therapy. However, the differentiation cultures may contain undifferentiated or undesired cell types that cause unwanted side effects, such as neoplastic formation, when transplanted into a body. Moreover, the hESCs/iPSCs are often genetically modified in order to isolate the derived renal progenitors, hampering clinical applications.

[A case report of hepatitis B virus reactivation in a hepatitis B core antibody-positive, hepatitis B surface antigen-negative hemodialysis patient].

Reactivation of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) has been reported in patients receiving immunosuppressive therapy or chemotherapy. We report a case of HBV reactivation in a patient negative for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), positive for hepatitis B core antibody (anti-HBc), and positive for hepatitis B surface antibody (anti-HBs), who was undergoing chronic maintenance hemodialysis without immunosuppressive therapy or chemotherapy. The patient was an 85-year-old woman with end-stage renal disease due to nephrosclerosis who had undergone maintenance hemodialysis for a year.

Cell Therapy Using Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Renal Progenitors Ameliorates Acute Kidney Injury in Mice.

Unlabelled: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is defined as a rapid loss of renal function resulting from various etiologies, with a mortality rate exceeding 60% among intensive care patients. Because conventional treatments have failed to alleviate this condition, the development of regenerative therapies using human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) presents a promising new therapeutic option for AKI. We describe our methodology for generating renal progenitors from hiPSCs that show potential in ameliorating AKI.

Ability of vitamin D receptor activator to prevent pulmonary congestion in advanced chronic kidney disease.

Background: Vitamin D deficiency is common among patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, the benefits of vitamin D supplementation versus vitamin D receptor activator (VDRA) administration have yet to be established. Recently, an association between activated vitamin D and cardiovascular factors was reported.

Membranous nephropathy associated with type 1 autoimmune pancreatitis and dominant glomerular IgG4 deposit.

We report a case of membranous nephropathy associated with type 1 autoimmune pancreatitis. A 58-year-old man presented with anorexia. Work-up revealed a mass in the pancreatic head, which was subsequently resected.

[Case of lead nephropathy due to chronic occupational lead exposure].

We report a case of a patient with chronic kidney disease likely due to lead nephropathy. He was a manufacturer of Buddhist altar fittings and had chronic lead exposure. The blood lead level was 41 microg/dL and urinary lead excretion at 24 hours after the administration of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA)was 600 microg (first time)and 687 microg (second time), respectively.